Introduction
You may have heard the terms "virus" and "trojan" used interchangeably, but there is a big difference between the two. In fact, they're two very different types of malware.
Viruses are self-replicating and can spread quickly from one computer to another. Trojans, on the other hand, are typically used to gain access to a computer system or network.
Knowing the difference between viruses and trojans is important for protecting your computer. In this article, we'll explain the difference in more detail and teach you how to protect your computer from both.
What Is a Trojan?
Trojans are often used to gain access to your computer, steal your data, or install other malicious programs. That's why it's so important to be able to recognize them when you see them.
Types of Trojans
Short message service (SMS) Trojans : An SMS Trojan is a mobile device infection that may transmit and intercept text messages. It mostly affects Android smartphones. As a result, a user's phone bill will cost more since messages will need to be sent to expensive phone numbers. SMS Trojans may function in a number of different ways. For instance, Faketoken pretends to be a standard SMS app when sending bulk SMS messages to premium international lines. The cost of this falls on the smartphone owner. Other SMS Trojans establish connections with expensive premium SMS services in order to run up a hefty charge.
Ransomware Trojans : This type of Trojan modifies data on the victim's computer, rendering it useless to the victim or impairing its proper operation. Once the data has been "held hostage" (limited or encrypted) by the ransomware Trojan, the user receives a ransom demand. When the ransom demand is satisfied, the cybercriminal provides the victim a programme to recover their data or computer's functionality. The ransom demand tells the victim to transfer money to the malicious user.
DDoS attack Trojans : Attack through DDoS Trojans are created specifically to add your device to a botnet, a collection of connected devices that may be remotely managed by a hacker known as a "bot herder." Such malicious software is designed to send a DDoS assault on a predetermined IP address from a computer that has been compromised. The objective is to overload a network with traffic in order to bring it down. Your infected computer and similar ones produce this traffic. DDoS assaults come in a variety of ways that target both the network and application layers. You may classify them according to how they affect the targeted computer resources, for as by consuming server resources, overloading an application, or depending on the type of resources they are targeting.
Trojans that cause user datagram protocol (UDP), internet control message protocol (ICMP), and internet group management protocol (IGMP) floods are examples of attacks on network resources. Trojans that affect weaknesses in the TCP/IP protocol, TCP reset attacks, and low- and slow-speed assaults like Sockstress and secure sockets layer (SSL) attacks, and whose detection is difficult are called attacks against server resources. Trojans that launch low- and slow-speed assaults such Slow HTTP GET requests (Slowloris) and Slow HTTP POST requests, as well as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Domain Name System (DNS) floods (R-U-Dead-Yet) are called attacks on the resources of the application.
Backdoor Trojans : Trojans with back doors as its name suggests, this Trojan can install a "backdoor" on a computer so that it can access it secretly. A backdoor Trojan gives an attacker remote access to a computer, enabling them to upload, download, or execute data as they see fit. These Trojans are among the most simple yet potentially dangerous types. In order to steal your data, spy on you, and install fresh viruses, they are primarily employed. Additionally, a backdoor Trojan is frequently employed to create a botnet—a network of zombie computers—which is utilized in sophisticated attacks.
Fake antivirus Trojans : bogus antivirus Trojans are another illustration of a particularly cunning kind. Untrue antivirus Trojan is intended to identify and remove threats in a manner similar to that of true antivirus software by imitating its features. But it demands cash from users in exchange for eliminating risks that could or might not exist. In order to further abuse the Trojan, users' financial information is given to the Trojan's developer when they pay for these services. Basically, it's advisable to ignore unusual virus alerts that appear while browsing a website in the browser. Only reputable virus scanners offered by your system should be trusted.
Rootkit Trojans : Trojans with rootkits are designed to hide particular system components or operations. Their main objective is to keep harmful tasks from being discovered so that the programmes may continue to run longer and do more harm.
Downloader Trojans : A Trojan-downloader is a specific type of Trojan that infects a system, connects to a remote server or website, and then downloads more programmes (usually malware) onto the compromised system. This Trojan is meant to further infect a computer's infection. It does this by downloading and installing fresh copies of dangerous software. These risks include malware such as trojans and adware. Trojan downloaders are frequently transmitted via spam emails as hidden file attachments. The connected apps frequently have titles that sound like they belong on a real programme or document, such "invoice.exe" or "accounts.exe," as a straightforward kind of social engineering. Upon opening the file attachment, the trojan-downloader is set up on the computer.
Remote Access Trojans : Malware known as the remote access Trojan (RAT) allows attackers to remotely manipulate compromised computers. The attacker can send commands to a compromised system and receive data in return after the RAT has been installed on it. Due to the numerous options they provide for remote access to the infected system, these Trojans are among the deadly. To receive instructions and data, the RAT will establish a command and control (C2) connection with the attacker's server. RATs generally include a collection of internal commands and C2 communication concealment techniques. Standard RAT features include application installation and uninstallation, data reading from the keyboard, file manipulation, clipboard monitoring, and camera hijacking.
Mail finder Trojans : Mail finder Trojan aims to collect and take email addresses kept on computers and delivers them to the malicious users via email, the web, file transfer protocol (FTP), or other channels. Then, cybercriminals use the stolen addresses to send out massive mailings of spam and viruses.
What Is a Virus?
A virus is a type of malware that can copy itself and infect other files on your computer. It can also damage or delete data.
Most viruses are spread through email attachments, downloads, or infected websites. Once your computer is infected, the virus can do all sorts of damage, like delete your files or crash your computer.
The best way to protect yourself from viruses is to install antivirus software and keep it up-to-date.
Types of Viruses
- Polymorphic virus : The sophisticated and difficult to detect polymorphic virus is a type of file infector that spreads via spam and compromised websites. They infect the system with a modified or mutated version of the existing programme while keeping the original code.
- Macro Virus : A virus that infects a computer when a word processing file is accessed and is written in the same macro language as the software programme. Email is primarily where these viruses are spread.
- Direct Action Virus : .exe or.com files that a virus attaches to directly and enters the device when the file is being executed are referred to as direct action viruses. It keeps itself concealed if it is put in the memory. It also goes by the name Non-Resident Virus.
- Resident Virus : A virus known as a resident virus stores itself in the computer's memory and spreads after its original software is no longer running, infecting other files and programs. Because it is concealed in the memory and is challenging to remove from the system, this virus can readily infect other files.
- File Infector Virus: As its name implies, this virus infects only one file initially before moving on to infect other executable files and programs. Word processors and video games are the main sources of this infection.
- Boot Sector Virus : This particular form of virus affects the Master Boot Record (MBR) of hard drives as well as the boot sector of floppy discs. All of the files necessary to launch the computer's operating system are contained in the boot sector. Either by overwriting the current software or by copying itself to another area of the disc, the virus.
- Overwrite virus : One of the most dangerous viruses is the overwrite virus, which overwrites the program in order to entirely delete it and replace it with malicious code. The destructive code can eventually entirely replace the host's programming code.
- Spacefiller Virus : A uncommon sort of virus called a "spacefiller virus" inserts more viruses into blank spaces in a file. It's called the cavity virus. Neither the size of the file nor its easy detection will be impacted.
- Multipartite Virus : A virus is referred to as a multipartite virus if it has the ability to attack both the boot sector and the executable files of a machine that has already been infected. Your system could be compromised by a multipartite malware, putting you at danger of a cyberattack.
What Is The Difference Between a Trojan and a Virus
It can be tricky to tell the difference between a Trojan and a virus, but there are some key things to look out for.
First of all, Trojans are often disguised as something that looks legitimate. So you may download a file thinking it's something else, and that's when the Trojan will start doing its damage.
Viruses, on the other hand, are more obvious. They tend to attach themselves to files or emails, and once you open them you're in trouble.
The main difference between a trojan and a virus is that a virus can not be controlled remotely and can replicate itself unlike a trojan.
So how can you protect yourself? Well, the best thing is to have up-to-date anti-virus software installed on your computer. And be careful about what you download—make sure you know what you're getting into before you hit that download button.
Also, if you are suspicious about a file, you can search it up on VIRUSTOTAL : https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/upload
How Do Trojans and Viruses Spread?
You might be wondering how Trojans and viruses spread. Well, it can happen in a number of ways. One of the most common methods is through email. Hackers will disguise a Trojan as an email attachment, and when you open it, the Trojan will install itself on your computer.
Another way Trojans and viruses can spread is through infected websites. If you visit a website that's been infected, the virus can automatically install itself on your computer. And finally, Trojans and viruses can also spread through USB drives. If you plug in an infected USB drive into your computer, the virus will install itself and start spreading.
How to Protect Your Computer From Trojans and Viruses
The best way to protect yourself is to install antivirus software and keep it up-to-date. You should also make sure that your firewall is turned on and that you're not opening up any suspicious-looking emails or attachments.
If you think you might have a virus or trojan on your computer, call a tech support specialist right away. They'll be able to help you get rid of it and protect your system from future attacks.
Conclusion
There are many types of computer viruses and trojans, but they all have the potential to do harm. It's important to be able to distinguish between these two types of infections and take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your computer.
Trojans are named after the Trojan Horse from Homer's epic poem, The Iliad. Just like the horse in the story, trojans can disguise themselves as something innocuous until it's too late. Be vigilant when you're browsing the internet and downloading files, and make sure you have up-to-date anti-virus protection software installed on your computer.
And that's it! You now know everything you need to know about Trojans and Viruses to keep your computer safe.
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